Friday, June 10, 2005

The San Francisco 49ers foo-ball team is experiencing a public relationsnightmare because their in-house training video on how to deal with the news media, was leaked to the very same news media.

The top headline in the Thursday edition of the San Francisco Chronicle (which broke the story of the video) is "49ers Players Defend Video as Owners Apologize for It." The pull quote from the one of the players is:

Is the video insensitive? Yes. But ... it's the same type of satire that has [comedian] Dave Chappelle as the No. 1 show.

Well, I've seen some of the clips from the video, which has made it all the way up to the top of the news food chain, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Dave Chappelle does satire, including elements that — taken out of context — would be insensitive, tacky, rude, and crass. However, there are a few small differences.

Dave Chappelle has a context for the satire. The context is what turns mockery into satire.

On the other hand, the media is reacting with stunned awe that a professional ath-a-letic franchise would engage in what we politely refer to as "locker-room humor." Oh my god. Stop the presses. Where's Norm Hitzges when we need him? (Norm Hitzges currently holds the exclusive sports journalism endorsement of The Third Path blog, because "I Am Not A Jock.")